The article reported on a recent study at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. A research team studied 27 shelter dogs, all Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Mastiffs, and analyzed their facial expressions as potential adopters stood in front of their cages. The dogs who raised their inner brows and widened their eyes were adopted faster than those who did not.

The research suggests that wolves that had these child-like expressions might have been more tolerated by humans, thus the characteristics were selected for as wolves moved toward domestication.

Dr. Juliane Kaminski, head of the Dog Cognition Centre at the University and co-author of the study, adds that “it is highly likely that these facial expressions do not make a dog a better pet than one that doesn’t widen its eyes, but this superficial trait is still preferred over other traits, such as tail wagging.”

Well, raised inner brows certainly worked on me. Chuck, now named Cooper, is firmly ensconced in our family.